Letter: We must better leverage Rochester's music wealth

JACK Quartet, one of the most acclaimed contemporary classical music ensembles, is made up of Eastman School of Music graduates John Pickford Richards, Ari Streisfeld, Christopher Otto and Kevin McFarland.

The Editorial Page rightly encouraged VisitRochester CEO Donald Jeffries to find new and more effective ways to bring tourists to Rochester (April 12). While touting our Lilac Festival and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, editors did not mention newer festivals. Greentopia and Fringe Festival have potential to draw audiences comparable to our established and rightly heralded signature events.

Editors also did not mention Rochester's overall music community and its vast scope and depth - bona fide tourist magnets. Eastman School of Music, alone, offers hundreds of performances annually by the very highest-level student and professional performers. Any other city our size would be embarrassed by Eastman's riches.

And then there is Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Broadway Theatre League and more jazz and other idioms of live music than a tourist can find in a comparable town, or many larger cities.

Congratulations, Donald Jeffries. The music pony's already stabled and ready to be better mounted, and more often, to bring our 21st century visitors. It's not improbable the Spider-Man film score will be graced by an Eastman School grad.